Wisdom of the Soul
by Exemia
Summary: They say that the soul is the only part of you that survives death, that it carries your past memories to a new life. Most of us forget them to become blank slates, but if we're lucky enough we remember everything and can use what we learned to help our second life. Sometimes past experiences can help make a better future.
1. Derailed

**Author's Note: Please read! Ey up everyone, I know it's been AGES since I've updated KoH and you all probably feel like crucifying me but it's been a long, hard-working year and I needed the past few months off from college to relax and recharge so I think it's fair that I'm entitled to a rest.**

**To those who are reading KoH, I'm reassuring you that I have not lost interest in the story and that I am writing chapter 20 bit by bit as we speak, it'll just take a while because of difficulty with writing some scenes and my horrible procrastination. -_- So here's something new to tide you over in the meantime.**

**This is a self-insert like KoH, but like my other fanfic, I'm portraying myself with my true personality, traits, habits and flaws. Now I believe in featuring yourself in your stories as much as you want, just as long as you don't ruin it by giving yourself a "perfect" appearance, personality etc because no one's perfect. And more importantly, DON'T overpower yourself - if you want to give yourself a special power/ability in a story then at least give it one or a few reasonable weaknesses. Sorry for my rant. T_T**

**Oh yeah, the dialogue exchanged between me and my friend in this story is reflecting our real accents so please don't spam me with saying that our sentences are full of spelling and grammatical errors, this is genuinely how we talk in the city where we're from. Shout outs to those who know which city I'm on about.**

**I don't own Naruto or its characters, I only own my OCs.**

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Wisdom of the Soul

Summary: They say that the soul is the only part of you that survives death, that it carries your past memories to a new life. Most of us forget them to become blank slates, but if we're lucky enough we remember everything and can use what we learned to help our second life. Sometimes past experiences can help make a better future.

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Chapter 1: Derailed

Wind, bitter and freezing, blew across the urban cityscape. The strong winds made a small fraction of those walking among it shiver, burrowing further into their coats and huddle closer to gain warmth. Lights from the still open shops illuminated the concrete streets along with the neon signs situated above. The sky was such a dark hue of blue it was almost black, the crescent moon and few stars littered about minutely accessorizing the night.

Good old English winter nights.

Me and my friend, Dominic, had just exited Cineworld after watching the new Argo film. And it was awesome.

"That was a good film, wannit Dom?" I started. My friend glanced at me with a nod before looking forward as we walked towards the traffic lights. He pushed the wait button as he replied,

"Yeah, s'alraaht. Realleh liked the part near the end where they just started tekin' off and the police start chasin' 'em dahn the runweh."

"Yeah, Aah was on the edge of me seat the 'ol time. But me favourite bit was when that bloke said,"

"'Argo fuck yourself.'" We quoted in a chuckled unison. The lights changed from green to yellow to red, allowing us to cross the road to the other side. Another strong gust of wind pushed against everyone, being used to this kind of weather all our lives made it easy for us Brits to ignore most of the cold though it seemed to be getting slowly colder with each passing year. Not that I hated it, in fact, I prefer winter over summer (technically it's late autumn now but still).

Walking at a leisurely pace, we stayed in silence for a moment before I decided to speak again.

"Ey Dom, ya wanna catch the tram om with me or ya catchin' a bus?"

"Nah, Aah'll catch the tram with ya, least it'll gimme someone to talk to on the weh back." Dominic answered, I nodded and focused my sight on the tram stop further down the sloping road, the two sets of tracks leading down to the small platforms.

_BONNNG!_ Went the bell of the Council House city hall, the sound piercing through the dark, almost empty streets. The bell tolled six more times, each ring sounding as the previous one had died down. Seven times it rang, indicating to us that it was seven o' clock exactly. By the time the seventh toll ended, me and my friend made it to the tram stop while looking at its digital timetable; the tram would arrive in two minutes. Until then the two of us just waited in comfortable silence.

The sound of whirring notified awaiting passengers that the tram was now pulling up to the platform, slithering smoothly along its tracks, headlights shining the path in front of it as it gradually slowed to a stop. All doors on the accessible side of the tram opened with their usual trio of beeps, we patiently waited for anyone who wanted to get off to exit first, which amounted to very few, before we entered. Most of the seats in the part where the two of us were had been taken by other passengers so we just stood, Dominic had grabbed one of the leather loops hanging above his head to hold on to while I decided to lean against the yellow pole that connected the floor to the ceiling of the more spacious parts of the transport. Once everyone had boarded there was a long beep before the doors slid shut again, a 'ding!' followed shortly after with the tram beginning to move again.

It was silent for the first few minutes of the journey home but it was interrupted by the vibration in my coat pocket. I took out my iPhone and read the caller ID; it was Mum. I pressed the green button on the screen to answer.

"Ayup Mum." I greeted quietly, partly because of my nature and partly because I didn't want to disturb the other people on the tram.

"Ayup, darlin'. Did ya enjoy the film? Did you and Dom av a nice time?" She asked, I glanced over at my friend to see him bringing his mobile up to his ear, apparently he was talking with his mum also.

"Yeah, it was good, realleh enjoyed it and yeah, we ad a nice time." I replied honestly. "We're.. we're just on the tram back om naah, should be abaaht 15 minutes." On mum's side of the phone I could hear some voices I instantly recognised - the high-ish tone of my little brother, the cheery voice of my sister and the reverberating baritone of my older brother - he must be visiting.

"Alraht then, babeh, Aah'll see you in a bit. Love you~" She said and I replied,

"Love ya too, tell Kai 'n that lot that I love 'em anorl." I heard Mum repeating what I'd said to my siblings to which I could hear them saying 'I love you's in the background. The corners of my mouth pointed up for a moment before falling back into a neutral line. After a final 'see ya' I finished the call and placed my phone back in my pocket, and it looked like Dodo was finishing up his chat as well.

A computerised voice spoke from the tram telling us which stop we were at, I checked the map above one of the doors and found that we were now at the halfway point.

"Whatya gonna do when ya gerrin, Dodo?" I asked, striking up a conversation again.

"Watch some more films, pleh some video games 'n most likleh read Alicia a book. If she's still up that is, daaht it though. Yerself?" he answered.

"Same. Just gonna chill, watch some anime 'n play video games." Dominic laughed quietly and said,

"Just a normal nerd's night in then, eh?" I chuckled back at him with a nod.

There was a huge jolt that caused us and everyone else on the tram to jump out of their skins and sway with startled murmurs and yelps. I had instantly grabbed on to the metal pole I was leaning against to steady myself while looking at Dominic to see if he was alright. He still a grip on the leather loop above him, he looked fine, just a little shaken like everyone else. Then the shaking began. The connected carriages began to violently tremble as though an earthquake was happening, people started screaming trying to grab anything for purchase, some managing to latch on to the other leather loops and yellow bars within the tram while others tumbled to the floor.

_SKREEEEEEEEEEEEE!_

That metallic sound pierced my ears, made me inwardly cringe as I struggled to keep my usual calm, poker face. There was another jolt bigger than the last and more screams erupting from the passengers, the lights began to flicker on and off erratically as the carriages began to tilt. A harsh sway to the left made me smack my face into the pole I was clinging to, making me bring a hand to the hit area with a pained grunt. Then another to the right **would've** thrown me against the window had Dominic not grabbed the sleeve of my coat.

"You alraht, Aims?" He questioned worriedly, a look of fear flashing across his face. I nodded with wide eyes, unable to say anything as my voice caught itself in my throat. Reaching out a hand, I held on to the vertical bar with as much strength as I could. My heart was thrumming harshly against its bony prison as I began to panic.

_"This can't be happening. I don't want to die.. I-I... I want my dad, I want my mum! I JUST WANT TO BE BACK HO-!"_ My thoughts were interrupted when there was a loud crash, and it sounded really close. Though my sight was shaking as much as the tram, I turned my head to the source of the sound, I didn't think my eyes could get any wider.

The carriage behind us was tipping over, people sliding to the side hitting the glass with sickening cracks and fearful cries. As its weight finally brought it down, the part me, Dom and a few others were in began doing the same. It seemed as though the vehicle was turning at a curved part of the tracks as the tipping and gravity happened quicker than the previous carriage. The sudden transition made me lose my grip once again, this time my friend lost his hold on the loop and fell with me.

The lights had completely shut off, a surge of pain rushed through my back and head, there was a cracking sound behind me and a heavy weight slammed into my chest winding me. Despite the dizziness from my head, I could tell this part of the tram was still turning. The sounds of glass breaking, metal crunching and terrified screams filtered through my ears, the last things I heard before blacking out.

And my last thought was,

_"Why us?"_

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**1st chapter DONE! \(^_^)/ Took a little longer than I thought but I did it.**

**As far as that crash scene went, there's never been an accident like that happen with the trams in real life in my city. Well, none that I know of, but I'm bloody well sure there haven't been horrific crashes. (O_O)**

**My friend is helping me in this story so I can get his reactions and mannerisms right, on this site he's called Xcinimod, he's got no stories at the moment but he is in the process of writing his first ever fanfic he's sent the first half to me just for an opinion before posting. I'm rather excited for him. (^w^)**

**Don't write flames in the reviews, please give civil comments like everybody else.**


	2. Betwixt

**OH MY GODS! Two chapters completed in one day?! I must be doing something right! *throws confetti* '*'**'* \(OwO\)**

**Yeah... that was a crap emoticon of confetti throwing. -_-"**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters, I only own my OCs.**

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Chapter 2: Betwixt

When I opened my eyes, all I could see was fog. White and grey swirling around each other. With a grunt I propped myself up on my hands and looked around. It was desolate, no one else in sight.

"Wh-Where am Aah?" I asked no one in particular, a slight echo repeated my words to me. To my surprise, someone did answer me and it was a voice I knew.

"No idea, mate." Dominic answered. I sat on my knees and scanned around for my friend. "Up 'ere." Following his direction, my eyes turned upwards and there he was - although I had to quirk an eyebrow at him and gaped a little. He was floating above me, breast stroke swimming in circles whilst looking down with a grin. "Ayup."

"'Ow the Hell did ya become Peter Pan?" I joked. He snorted and started moving his arms as if he was a bird, 'flying' around in different patterns at a slightly faster pace.

"Since Aah woke up 'ere. If onleh scientists could see this place, they'd probleh av meltdahns tryin' ter debunk this with logic." He answered. I chuckled at the mental image of people in white lab coats standing here and ending up with their heads exploding as they tried to think of an explanation for us being able to levitate.

"You two are taking this situation quite well." A new voice commented. I jumped a little and sharply turned to find the source of the voice.

A tall man - probably 5'9", was staring at us with a calm expression. He had long black hair tied into a mid-high ponytail with some shorter bangs framing his face, amber coloured eyes and he looked rather young. The man wore a pair of white hakama with a matching kimono-like garment, a red sash tied around his waist, wooden zōri on his feet, and necklace about his neck with six magatamas on the cord. They looked like they were made from some sort of gemstone but I couldn't tell what. The fog around us obscured him a bit.

A stranger who is older and no doubt taller and stronger than me? Shyness and intimidation washed over me so I took a few slow steps back. Dominic swam back to the mist-covered floor, he questioned the adult standing before us.

"Oo are ya 'n whaddya mean by 'situation'?"

"You may call me Kami," He answered. "and by situation, I mean the accident you were in."

Accident? Then I remembered. The tram derailed! I tried holding on to the bar but my hand slipped, then I crashed into something then something heavy landed on me and... that was all I could recall. Glancing at my friend, I could tell he must have remembered too.

"S-So.. where are we?" I asked nervously, already not liking the answer we could get. Sympathy glinted in Kami's golden eyes.

"Your bodies are still within the wreckage, your souls however, are in a plane between realms - where we are now." He illuminated. My eyes, and most likely Dominic's, widened at his words. Souls in another plane? Is.. Is he saying that... we died? No, no that can't be true!

_"But how else can you explain your location? How you're completely unharmed?"_ A voice in the back of my mind argued. Most of me denied the notion but deep down a part of me had to agree.

"That's a load of bollocks! We can't be dead!" My taller companion protested. The adult remained calm and seemed unfazed, as if he'd experienced this before.

"Do you want me to show you as proof?" He asked coolly. I tensed up, did I really want to see what sort of horrible state my body would be in after the tram crashed? The thought of my bones broken, limbs twisted at impossible angles and being covered in blood made me shiver. I said nothing and neither did Dom, I lowered my gaze to the misty floor as my eyes began to water.

"What happened to the both of you was tragic, young ones such as yourselves now unable to achieve what you dreamed and desired... So I'm going to give you a second chance at life." Kami spoke. I looked up at him through unshed tears. "But I suppose I should warn you, this world is more dangerous than yours." That made me feel a little uneasy yet curious, more dangerous than Earth? In what way(s)? Before I could think of more than two ways, Dominic spoke up again.

"'Old on! If we're gonna be born again Aah at least want a few things about me to remain the same!"

"Such as?"

"The weh Aah look, the saahnd of me voice.. and if this is something that normalleh 'appens to people, Aah wanna remember **everything** from my past life." Dominic listed. Kami leaned his head back and narrowed his eyes. I couldn't tell what he was feeling because of that stoney look on his face.

"Me too! I want those things abaaht me to stay the same anorl." My demand being more nervous than the other teen's.

"You want to remember all of your first life? Are you sure? Do you even know why souls are wiped clean in rebirth?" He pried, walking around us in a slow circle while expressionless. "Because a lot of people have suffered from events so terrible that they don't want to remember, they want to forget the pain. If you decide to keep your memories the things you've gone through in your first life will come back and eventually cause you to mourn and experience turmoil again. Do you really want that?"

"Yeah, Aah'm damn well sure." Dominic confidently confirmed while I nodded vehemently. The ravenette held his gaze with ours, pondering the requests. My heart, strangely enough, was throbbing against my ribcage in anticipation. It felt like hours before he opened his mouth.

"Alright. I'm feeling rather generous today anyway, I'll grant your requests.. if you do one favour for me." A breath I didn't know I was holding exhaled from me as a small smile appeared on my face. Thankful that he was allowing us to keep

"Which is?"

"You see, in this world you're going to there are many people who will suffer unnecessarily, particularly the little ones. So I want you to help those sufferers, in any way you possibly can."

"O-Oo are these sufferers? Aren't ya gonna tell us oo they are?"

"I could tell you but that would ruin the surprise. But don't fret, it should be easy for you to know who they are." I couldn't but feel that the 'you' was more directed at me if him gazing at me as he said it indicated anything. "I shouldn't keep you any longer, it's time for you to go. Farewe-"

"Wait!" I cried. Kami glanced at me, waiting to hear what I had to say. "Before you send uzz ter aahr new lives, c-could you make it so my pet cat is in this world with me please?"

"Why?"

"Because that cat's been in my life since I was born and I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't see him anymore." I explained truthfully. Sooty has been by my side since the days we were born and the thought of him not being near me anymore scared the crap out of me.

"...Alright, I'll make it so. Any other requests?" He inquired. I shook my head as a 'no' and Dominic responded the same way. After getting our confirmation, Kami made a swipe with his hand and a whitish blue light engulfed us. I felt immediately light-headed and as the glow intensified I quickly lost consciousness again.

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_Two births happened within a week of each other at the local hospital, one during the afternoon and one in the morning. It was a joyous occasion for the two couples admitted there._

_Name: Emiko Reiki_

_Gender: Female_

_Parents: Masaru Reiki (father), Kaori Reiki (mother)_

_Date of Birth: April 29_

_Doctor's Notes: Child was born one week premature, other than that, no other complications found or arisen. _

_Name: Doumaru Kanadzuchi_

_Gender: Male_

_Parents: Ryuuma Kanadzuchi (father), Ayaka Kanadzuki (mother)_

_Date of Birth: May 9_

_Doctor's Notes: Child was born with some breathing difficulty. His condition is stable but it would be best if he stayed a little longer to make sure no further complications arise._

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**A/N: Honestly, I thought that this chapter wasn't as good as I imagined it to be. And giving my friend breathing problems at birth makes it more realistic for him because he does have asthma, so. xP**

**Tarrah! :3**


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